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Topic: Engine numbers (Read 939 times)

Being new to the forum I'm not certain of the way this should be approached but here goes.

I recently purchased an A65 which came from Denmark, the paperwork shows it was registered in 1965 but I do not know if it was originally registered in Denmark or whether it just finished up there. I am also uncertain as to the actual model, it was described in the advert as a Star Twin. The engine number is A65B412 and I was wondering if anyone out there could help me pin down the precise model and year. I did look in the owners club library for anything A65 however it appears to skip 1965 just showing 1964 and 1966.

The engine number appears to signify that it is either an A65R or an A65T from the 1964 season, ie Aug 1964 - Jul 1965. The frame number prefix looks to be a bit more confusing with one list signifying that a prefix of A50B makes it an A65R while a plain A50 prefix makes it an A65T. Other lists don't seem to make this distinction with the frame number.

Your engine is an A65 Rocket from the late part of the 1965 season (August 1964 - July 1965). See below from Glass's Motorcycle check book, which puts the last engine number for the Rocket at A65B 436.

The versions equiped with the optional tachometer had engines starting A65C.

As it came from Denmark it was possibly imported there by Hansens of Copenhagen.

Also added a brochure photo of the Rocket from the 1965 BSA export catalogue.

Roy Bacon explaining the new coding was introduced in 1969, the seasons starting July 1969 for 1970 and August for 1971 and 1972. The other attachment stating it started in 1969, C being Aug 1968 to July 1969.

The 1969 bikes started with A65LC-101 but there wasn't any 1969 bikes built, it seems only built in August/September 1968.

Lucky for me they dropped the close ratio gearbox otherwise my engine number would have been NCC 01701, very similar to Star Trek Starship Enterprise designation.

Unfortunately the numbers Bacon gives for 1969 are not correct. The letters are OK. The numbers did not start at 101, they ran on from the 1968 numbers, starting around number 11101 and ending around 23000.

There were about 12000 A series twins made in the 1969 season August 1968 - July 1969, the last ones with date code GC for June 1969.

Photo is from front of 1969 parts book which shows start engine numbers.